Driving Educational Excellence: Interim National General Manager at Leading Vocational Education Institution
The Brief
A leading Australian university, known for its Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs, needed an interim leader due to an impending organisational restructure.
The university sought a leader to provide strategic oversight and leadership in learning, teaching, and student engagement at the Melbourne Campus. Future Leadership’s Interim Executive team was engaged to secure an experienced interim executive capable of guiding the VET operations through this critical period.
Increase in General Management Skills
According to the American Management Association, only 14% of businesses consider themselves “well prepared” to handle a sudden loss in senior management. Add to that the fact that it takes at least four months to fill an executive role, and an Interim Executive experienced in operations makes a lot of sense!
Increase in Customer Experience Skills
These days experience is everything. What truly makes for a good experience? Speed. Convenience. Consistency. Friendliness. And human touch. Our Interim Executives deliver a great experience while improving your customer experience!
Increase in People & Culture Skills
Organisations are constantly changing as they respond to internal and external pressures. Continual process improvement can enable team engagement and lead to growth. Interim Executives bring fresh eyes and effective industry best practice to the execution.
Increase in Data Analytics
Complex challenges require critical thinking and in the age of information-overwhelm it is imperative to have analytical minds at the table. These skills range across finance, data science, systems and more. An Interim Executive can be the right person to optimise your inputs to maximise your output.
The Process
The Interim Executive team screened an extensive ecosystem of candidates and quickly produced a shortlist of individuals with proven success in leadership roles within the specialised VET sector.
The top candidate, who was ultimately selected for the role, brought 15 years of experience managing operations, sales, and business development functions in the tertiary education sector. Their previous roles included leading the Learning Innovation portfolio at a major educational institution, as well as holding senior positions at renowned education providers.
Emerging Capabilities
Operations
Expertise in managing and optimising educational operations to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services.
Educational Administration
Skilled in overseeing administrative functions within educational institutions, ensuring compliance and operational excellence.
Finance
Proficient in managing financial resources, budgeting, and aligning financial strategies with organisational goals.
Stakeholder Management
Experienced in engaging and managing relationships with key stakeholders, including industry partners and academic divisions.
Business Process Improvement
Adept at identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance operational efficiency and drive organisational success.
The Outcome
Following a successful six-month engagement, the Interim Executive was offered the permanent and more senior role of Director of the College.
In this expanded role, they led innovation in VET within the Deputy Vice Chancellor Education Innovation portfolio, managed compliance obligations, contributed to strategy development, directed staff in industry engagement, drove student recruitment, and served as the key inter-university liaison with faculties and divisions.
